April 18, 2022 – Click here to listen
I took a van full of friends from Duck Key to Key Largo to church yesterday and a wonderful time was had by all of us. 700 folks attended the two services and 23 people were saved and are ready for Baptism.
Last night I got a letter from the pastor, and he reported the great news of yesterday’s service and thanked me for making the one hour plus drive and bringing some of our friends to be a part of it, and once again he thanked Teresa and I for our investment in this beautiful structure.
I told him I cannot adequately express my joy at seeing an instrument of evangelism such as he and his wife spearheaded in the keys. As with most vacation destinations people flock to the keys to party. Many of the locals fall prey to this constant party lifestyle which is commonly referred to down here as the “Key’s disease”. Symptoms are drinking, fishing, and chasing women. I love the keys and it breaks my heart to see the manifestation of the effects of this disease (sin) such as alcohol and drug addiction, suicide, divorce, and hedonistic behavior that affects so many people down here, especially youngsters.
Good churches are badly needed in the keys and one of my desires was to see more and bigger churches built. Pastor Steve and his wife Cindy established Key Largo Baptist church which was far too small to accommodate the need. They had a vision to build one that would accommodate hundreds and hundreds of people. I was all in on the vision and supported it and God mightily blessed it and now one of the finest and most beautiful churches that I’ve ever attended is built and thriving.
One of their prime objectives was and is to reach young people and all one had to do at the service was to look around to see aisles filled with smiling young people. The music as always was uplifting, the preaching was outstanding, and the facility was simply beautiful.
One year Teresa and I took Pastor Steve and his wife Cindy on a trip to Israel with us and this morning I wrote Pastor Steve about it: “As I watched the service unfold yesterday, I thought back to our trip to Israel and the incredible blessings God gave us all during that trip. One of the highlights was the Easter morning that you preached on the same steps where Jesus walked to get in the temple so many times to teach. I shall never forget it.
With our upcoming move to Costa Rica, I don’t know if we will make it back to this beautiful church someday or not, but I hope we will. If not, I’m sure we will see each other in heaven and we can rejoice together for the formerly lost souls of the keys who were transformed into followers of Christ through your and Cindy’s leadership.”
I have lived a full life and God has blessed me enormously. I have received far more blessings than I could ever imagine and been privileged to see much of the world and experience many of the finest things the world has to offer, but none can compare with seeing cars lined up as far as one could see with people flocking to the House of the Lord to hear the word of God.
My prayer for today is that you too experience being a part of seeing lost souls come to the Lord and know that you played a small part in it. I was involved in prison ministry for decades and during that time I saw literally thousands upon thousands of inmates give their hearts to the Lord. One time I was standing in the blazing hot sun in the middle of a dusty prison yard, and I told those inmates I could be anywhere in the world enjoying life but there was no place I’d rather be than standing there introducing them to our Savior because I loved them like Jesus loved them. We had hundreds of volunteers that day and nearly 3000 inmates gave their formerly hardened hearts to the Lord that day. We rejoiced with tears.
Imagine missing that moment for a game of golf . . .
Make a covenant with God today to become a part of a ministry. In the unlikely event that you cannot find one that feels right for you, then start one. There will be no greater joy than seeing lost souls find Jesus, my friends!
Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!